Med City FC had the best season of their short history in 2019. The Mayhem finished runners-up in the National Premier Soccer League’s North Conference and earned a first-ever playoff berth. Now, the US Soccer Federation has rewarded the Mayhem for their 2019 efforts.
Just before Christmas, Med City FC general manager Frank Spaeth received an email from Paul Marstaller, commissioner of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, informing him that the Mayhem had earned a place in the biggest cup competition in U.S. soccer. The U.S. Open Cup includes participants from all levels of professional soccer in the US, including Major League Soccer, as well as select teams in the nationally sanctioned amateur leagues.
“It’s quite an honor to be selected to participate in the 2020 edition of the U.S. Open Cup,” says Spaeth. “Typically, only about a dozen NPSL teams are chosen to participate. To be one of them this year is a great opportunity for us to potentially test ourselves against some new levels of competition.”
Being selected is not without its challenges. According to Spaeth, the first round of the Cup has been moved up to March 24 and 25, a full six weeks before the Mayhem typically gets its season started. “We might have to get creative in terms of our U.S. Open Cup roster, as we’re not sure how many of our returning players would be able to make a special trip to play at that time of year,” he admits. He says some solutions could include working with area colleges to get some temporary players and looking to get more local/area players involved with the team on at least a short-term basis.
“A U.S. Open Cup berth has certainly created some additional work and pushed up our timeline on preparations for the upcoming season, but it could also bring some pretty incredible opportunities.” Spaeth says. “Depending on the final format of the 2020 version of the tournament, the Mayhem could potentially face professional competition as early as the second round, and half the teams in Major League Soccer will enter the tournament in round three.”
According to the email Spaeth received, U.S. Open Cup first round matchups will be decided on January 22. In the meantime, Med City FC is busy preparing for the 2020 NPSL season. Tryouts will be held in Rochester on Sunday, February 2, 2020 and registration for that is now live. Spaeth and head coach Neil Cassidy will also travel to Ecuador in late-January to attend a tryout there. In addition, the team has been busy working on some partnerships and relationships with a number of clubs around the world.
“Last year was our best yet, but we’re still not satisfied,” Spaeth says. “Every year we’re looking at improving and this year will be no different.”